By Joe Koraith/Staff Reporter
The sound of squealing tyres is something that Qatar is only too familiar with and now there is a school where you can learn to drift — with the aim of taking racing off the streets.
The Camaro Drift School (CDS), a joint initiative between Qatar Racing Club and Jaidah Automotive, was launched yesterday – amidst smoking tyres of course.
The CDS will take place on the drift grounds of the Qatar Racing Club, located on Street 52 in the Industrial Area.
“We are thrilled to partner once again with Jaidah Automotive in promoting a secure and sustainable space for future generations of drifters to thrive and master this unique sport,” said Fahad Bahzad, chief executive officer, Qatar Racing Club.
Jaidah Automotive, a subsidiary of Jaidah Group, and the exclusive dealer of Chevrolet motors in Qatar has provided three Camarao SSs for the school extending their association with the sport. They have been sponsoring the Qatar Drift Championship for two seasons now.
“We are delighted to partner with Qatar Racing Club as an official sponsor of the Camaro Drift School, continuing to support the national efforts to raise awareness of the importance of safety in motorsports in Qatar with passion and commitment,” said Khalid Samir, director, operations at Jaidah Automotive.
Bahzad informed that the talks between QRC and Jaidah Automotive had begun around a year ago regarding the opening of the school, which will offer two levels initially – beginner and experienced. The intermediate course – for which the cars will have to set up accordingly – will begin in about six months to a year’s time. QRC also plans to bring in professionals from Formula Drift to help set up the course material.
“We will have drivers from Formula Drift coming in to help our professional drivers to learn how to teach. We know what route to take but we will take it gradually so that we don’t have any hiccups on the way,” the QRC chief executive officer said.
The courses will take place along with the rounds of the Qatar Drift Championships – two days before the main event. There will be 12 seats available over two days. The beginners course will cost QR2,500 while the experienced one will cost QR1,500. Coaching for each tier of the drift licence will cost QR1,500.
“We are going to try to get as much people as we can to experience drifting. That’s our main goal. All our initiatives are aligned with our slogan – Together, taking racing off the streets,” said Bahzad.
Taking racing off the streets is also a key reason for Jaidah Automotive to form this alliance with QRC. “We are in constant contact with the Qatar Traffic Department because of the nature of our business. And we do feel the pain of all the accidents – one of the main reasons for it is people taking this sport that they love to the streets where it’s not safe. So having tied up with Qatar Racing Club for this Qatar Racing School is basically a no-brainer. We give the people the sport that they love in a safe environment. They get to excel in it and learn to do it properly,” Samir said.
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